Endometriosis - a focus on acupuncture & Chinese medicine support
Endometriosis and how a Chinese medicine practitioner can support you in your health journey
By Dr. Rebecca Brook - Acupuncturist, Dr. of Chinese Medicine
Endometriosis, defined as the presence of endometrial tissue at sites outside its normal location (which is in the uterus). Symptoms include pain, heavy periods, or infertility. Endometriosis is among the most common reason for absence from work and school (Fang et. al., 2012).
Many Chinese medicine or acupuncture studies, such as the one above, reveal formulas that are useful for endometriosis patients. Some of which show less side effects than pharmaceuticals (Flower et. al., 2012).
It is not always the case that western medicine can “fix” endometriosis, and in many cases I see, patients have had surgeries only to find that the endo returns.
It is a hot topic right now. And should have been over the decades really! But finally, women who suffer from this crippling condition can seek out help sooner rather than later.
When I consult with a new patient, or one who has been diagnosed during out treatment plan, I often suggest a herbal formula.
Reason being, herbal formulas such as Gui-Zhi-Fu-Ling-Wan (Cinnamon Twig and Poria Pill) contain sedative and anti-inflammatory agents. This formula infact is the most commonly prescribed Chinese herbal formula, and mostly for the treatment of endometriosis-related symptomatic discomfort.
This is NOT the only formula I can choose though! And it is TOTALLY DEPENDENT on your symptoms. So please do not go and Google purchase this formula without consulting a Chinese Medicine Practitioner. This is not a diagnosis post for everyone who has endo-this is a post to share information about how Chinese medicine and acupuncture can support you with your symptoms, whilst getting to the root cause.
In Chinese medicine, endometriosis is seen as a “blood stagnation” pattern, and there can be other elements involved too. So it is advisable to get both your western diagnosis, and relevant treatment if required AND to see a Chinese Medicine Practitioner for supportive measures.
I like to work with patients and focus on chinese dietetics, which is foods that will support the work we do in clinic, and removing foods that are counterproductive to the end goal. That is, reducing pain, clearing the stagnation and moving the blood freely.
Alongside this, working on herbal formulas (as mentioned), yoga, exercise and movement, and things like self-massage, acupressure and essential oils can all be useful tools.
As a (probably over-qualified!) practitioner with a long list of qualifications, I can provide support in all these modalities.
References
Fang, R. C., Tsai, Y. T., Lai, J. N., Yeh, C. H., & Wu, C. T. (2012). The traditional chinese medicine prescription pattern of endometriosis patients in taiwan: a population-based study. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2012, 591391. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/591391
Cheng, W., Shan, J., Ding, J., Liu, Y., Sun, S., Xu, L., & Yu, C. (2024). Therapeutic effects of Huayu Jiedu formula on endometriosis via downregulating GATA 6 expression. Heliyon, 10(1).
Liang, R. N., Li, P. S., Zou, Y., Liu, Y. L., Jiang, Z., Liu, Z., ... & Sun, X. Y. (2017). Ping‐Chong‐Jiang‐Ni formula induces apoptosis and inhibits proliferation of human ectopic endometrial stromal cells in endometriosis via the activation of JNK signaling pathway. Evidence‐Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2017(1), 6489427.
Tsai, P. J., Lin, Y. H., Chen, J. L., Yang, S. H., Chen, Y. C., & Chen, H. Y. (2017). Identifying Chinese herbal medicine network for endometriosis: implications from a population‐based database in Taiwan. Evidence‐Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2017(1), 7501015.
Lee, E., Xie, Y., Chen, H., & Meng, W. (2017). Systematic Review of Chinese Medicine for Ovarian Endometriosis. International Journal of Pharmacognosy and Chinese Medicine.
Flower, A., Liu, J. P., Lewith, G., Little, P., & Li, Q. (2012). Chinese herbal medicine for endometriosis. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, (5), CD006568. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD006568.pub3